This disclosure relates to gas turbine engines, and more particularly to retention of vanes of gas turbine engines.
Typical gas turbine engines utilize one or more stages of variable vanes, vanes which are rotatable about a vane axis to vary an angle of attack relative to an airstream flowing across the vane, and to vary a turning angle the variable vane applies to the airstream to change an angle of incidence of the airstream on components downstream of the variable vanes, for example, a fan rotor or compressor rotor. Each vane is typically retained at a case surrounding the vane stage, with the vanes rotably secured to allow for rotation of the vanes about the vane axis. Depending on geometry or configuration of an outer surface of the case, installation of conventional vane retention components at the outer surface of the case can be difficult. Often, compromises are made in the configuration of the case outer surface, such as scallops formed into flanges or the like, to allow for necessary clearance for the vane retention components and their associated installation tools to be utilized to retain the vanes as required.